Variable orientation fluid level sensor with optional slosh guard

ABSTRACT

A fluid level sensor assembly comprises a sensor mounted to a sensor housing. A carrier extends from the sensor housing in an angled orientation. A float is located within the carrier such that the float may move along a longitudinal axis of the carrier. A fragment is secured to the float, and the sensor detects a location of the fragment as the float moves within the carrier.

PRIORITY

This application is a non-provisional of, and claims priority to theDec. 22, 2011, filing date of, U.S. provisional patent application Ser.No. 61/579,226, the entire content of which is incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to fluid level sensors and/or floatswitches.

BACKGROUND

Currently, the fluid level sensors used in the washer bottle segment forvehicles are not capable of being used in a side mount or bottom mountlocation with the same design. It requires two different fluid levelsensor designs to handle the different mounting locations. Also, thereed switch design of the current sensors requires parallel orientationand movement of the magnet to the reed switch; meaning the magnet andreed switch are parallel to each other.

Current fluid level sensor designs do use a float approach with a magnetand reed switch. The float designs are also limited with the currentdesigns to rings or U-shaped floats. Also, depending on the requirementof the product for the sensor, slosh guard protection requires adifferent design of the sensor. Some products require a slosh guard fortheir fluid level sensors, while others do not. This variability leadsto different design approaches of the sensor, depending on thisrequirement of a slosh guard.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose ofgenerally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of thepresently named inventors, to the extent it is described in thisbackground section, as well as aspects of the description that may nototherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neitherexpressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the presentdisclosure.

SUMMARY

A fluid level sensor assembly comprises a sensor mounted to a sensorhousing. A carrier extends from the sensor housing in an angledorientation. A float is located within the carrier such that the floatmay move along a longitudinal axis of the carrier. A fragment is securedto the float, and the sensor detects a location of the fragment as thefloat moves within the carrier.

A fluid level sensor assembly comprises reed switch mounted to a sensorhousing. A carrier extends from the sensor housing in an angledorientation, such as at a 45 degree angle. A float with a barrel shapeis located within the carrier such that the float may move along alongitudinal axis of the carrier and is prevented from rotatingtransverse to the longitudinal axis of the carrier. A magnetic fragmentis secured at one of the float. The float is assembled within thecarrier such that the magnetic fragment is closest to the reed switchsuch that the reed switch can detect a location of the magneticfragment.

A washer reservoir and fluid level sensor assembly comprises a fluidlevel sensor and a reservoir having one of a side mounting location anda bottom mounting location. The fluid level sensor comprises a sensormounted to a sensor housing and a carrier extending from the sensorhousing in an angled orientation. A float is located within the carriersuch that the float may move along a longitudinal axis of the carrier. Afragment is secured to the float, and the sensor detects a location ofthe fragment. A connector is secured to the sensor housing on anopposing side from the carrier. The connector has a connector pinelectrically connected to the sensor, and a flanged backing to securethe connector to the sensor housing. A grommet is assembled on theexterior of the sensor housing. The fluid level sensor is assembled tothe reservoir at the mounting location such that a grommet fluidly sealsthe fluid level sensor within the reservoir and the connector isaccessible to the exterior of the washer reservoir

Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating the preferred embodiment of the disclosure, are intended forpurposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope ofthe disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become more fully understood from thedetailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a perspective view of a firstembodiment of a fluid level sensor assembly;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional illustration of a side view of thefirst embodiment of the fluid level sensor assembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a exploded view of the firstembodiment of the fluid level sensor assembly with a slosh guard;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a perspective view of a float forthe first embodiment of the fluid level sensor assembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a perspective view of theconnector for the fluid level sensor assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional illustration of a side view of thefirst embodiment of the fluid level sensor and reservoir assembly shownin a side mounted orientation;

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional illustration of a side view of thefirst embodiment of the fluid level sensor and reservoir assembly shownin a bottom mounted orientation;

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of a perspective view of a secondembodiment of a fluid level sensor assembly; and

FIG. 9 is a schematic reservoir illustration of a side view of thesecond embodiment of the fluid level sensor assembly shown in FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is in no wayintended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. For purposesof clarity, the same reference numbers will be used in the drawings toidentify similar elements. FIG. 1 thru FIG. 3 illustrates a firstembodiment of a fluid level sensor assembly 10 of the present invention.The fluid level sensor assembly 10 includes a sensor 12 mounted to asensor housing 14. A carrier 16 extends from the sensor housing 14 in anangled orientation. A float 18 is located within the carrier 16 and maymove freely along the longitudinal axis 19 of the carrier 16.

A connector 20 extends from the sensor housing 14 on an opposing side asthe carrier 16. The connector 20 is used to electrically connect thesensor 12 to an external electronic control unit (ECU) to provide awarning indication in the case of low fluid level detected by the sensor12. For example, when the fluid level sensor assembly 10 is used in awasher reservoir for a vehicle a warning indicator may be alerted withthe sensor 12 detects a low fluid level. A grommet 22 (shown in FIGS. 6and 7) is mounted to the exterior of the sensor housing 14 to seal thefluid level sensor assembly 10 to a reservoir 24, 124 (shown in FIGS. 6and 7).

The sensor 12 may be a hall effect sensor or a reed switch and the float18 includes a fragment 26 that is magnetic. The reed switch sensor 12 ismounted to have a perpendicular orientation to the magnetic fragment 26when the fluid level sensor 10 is assembled. The sensor 12 detectsvertical movement of the magnetic fragment 26 relative to the stationaryposition of the sensor 12 at the sensor housing 14. The carrier 16 hasan angled orientation with respect to the sensor 12. In the embodimentshown, the carrier 16 has a 45 degree angle with respect to the sensor12 and the sensor housing 14. The angled orientation between the carrier16 and the sensor 12 allows for multiple mounting orientations of thefluid level sensor assembly 10 without requiring use of a differentsensor 12, as will described in further detail below. The float 18 mustbe of sufficient size to maintain buoyancy in the fluid while carryingthe weight of the fragment 26.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the float 18 may have an oblong shape. Whereinthe longer axis 30 of the float 18 is oriented in parallel to thelongitudinal axis 19 of the carrier 16. The carrier 16 has a number offingers 32. The fingers 32 are parallel to the longitudinal axis 19 ofthe carrier 16 and spaced apart from one another sufficiently toaccommodate the width of the float 18 along the shorter axis but aresufficiently close to one another to prevent rotation of the float 18transverse to the longitudinal axis 19. This arrangement allows thefloat 18 to slide freely along the longitudinal axis 19 of the carrier16, while preventing transverse rotation of the float 18 about that axis19. The fragment 26 may be located on or near one end of the float 18.The end of the float 18 that has the fragment 26 is assembled to beclosest to the sensor 12 when the float 18 is located within the carrier12. Locating the fragment 26 in the closest orientation to the sensor 12and preventing rotation of the float 18 transverse to the longitudinalaxis 19 of the carrier 16 ensures that float 18 is always orientated tohave the fragment 26 closest to the sensor 12. This orientationincreases the sensitivity of the sensor 12 to the float 18/fragment 26reducing the size of the fragment 26 required. In turn, the size of thefloat 18 is also decreased as well as the size of the carrier 16.

Therefore, the float 18 has a generally barrel shape with the fragment26 located near one end. In addition to preventing transverse rotationof the float 18 about the longitudinal axis 19 of the carrier 16 it mayalso be desirable to prevent the float 18 from spinning about thelongitudinal axis 19 within the carrier 16. The barrel float 18 maydefine grooves 34 spaced about the circumference of the float 18 runningalong the longer axis 30. When the float 18 is assembled within thecarrier 16 the grooves 34 may be aligned with the fingers 32. Thus, thefingers 32 will prevent the float 18 from spinning about thelongitudinal axis 19 of the carrier. Sloshing fluid within the reservoir24, 124 (shown in FIGS. 6 and 7) may cause the float 18 to rotate and/orspin within the carrier 16. By reducing the rotation and spinning of thefloat 18 within the carrier 16 this may assist in preventing the float18 from temporarily binding or sticking to the carrier 16. The float 18should remain free to move up and down with the fluid level in thereservoir 24, 124 to provide accurate fluid level sensing.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded view of the fluid level sensor assembly10 with a slosh guard 36. If further reduction of the slosh around thefloat 18 is desired the slosh guard 36 may be assembled on the carrier16. Due to the angled orientation of the carrier 16 relative to thesensor housing 14 the slosh guard 36 can be assembled on the carrier 16regardless of the mounting orientation of the fluid level sensorassembly 10 within the reservoir 24, 124 (shown in FIGS. 6 and 7).Therefore, the slosh guard 36 is a universal slosh guard. The sloshguard 36 may be spaced from the sensor housing 14 sufficiently to allowfluid to flow within the carrier 16 such that the float 18 is at the topof the fluid level, but the effect of any sloshing fluid within thereservoir 24, 124 acting on the float 18 is reduced. Couplings 37 areformed on the slosh guard 36 to correspond to couplings 39 formed on thecarrier 16. The couplings 37, 39 allow for easy assembly of the sloshguard 36 on the carrier 16 regardless of the mounting orientation of thefluid level sensor assembly 10.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the connector 20. A socket 40extends outwardly from a flanged backing 38 to surround and protect aconnector pin 42. The flanged backing 38 is secured to the sensorhousing 18, e.g. by welding, to retain the connector 20 to the sensorhousing 18. The connector pin 42 is secured to the flanged backing 38.For example, the connector pin 42 may be secured to the flanged backing38 my over-molding the connector pin 42 to the flanged backing 38. Theconnector pin 42 is electronically connected to the sensor 12 when theconnector 20 is secured to the sensor housing 18, such as by solderingthe sensor 12 and the connector pin 42 together.

The type and style of the connector pins 42 and socket 40 may be formedto provide the specific style of connection required for connecting thefluid level sensor assembly 10 to the plug and ECU (not shown) stylethat are being used. The connector pin 42 illustrated is a two-prongconnector pin 42 and may be formed in the desired shape and number ofprongs, e.g. by die stamping. However, the flanged backing 38 allows fora common manner of coupling the connector pin 42 to the sensor 12 forthe fluid level sensor assembly 10. In this manner only the style ofconnector pin 42 and socket 40 are required to be manufactured for aspecific use, such as a specific vehicle model, and the remainingcomponents of the fluid level sensor assembly 10 can be interchangeablymanufactured.

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the fluid level sensor 10and reservoir assembly 43. The fluid level sensor 10 is mounted to thereservoir 24 having a side oriented mounting location 44 for the fluidlevel sensor assembly 10. The fluid level sensor assembly 10 is fluidlysealed to the reservoir 24 with the grommet 22. The angled carrier 16directs the float 18 with fragment 26 at an angle, e.g. 45 degrees, tothe sensor housing 14 and connector 20. When the fluid level in thereservoir 24 drops the float 18 drops toward the sensor housing 14activating the sensor 12, e.g. a perpendicular installed reed switch.The sensor 12, or reed switch in this embodiment, will close due to themagnetic field of the fragment 26 in the float 18. This causes anelectrical short between the two prongs of the connector pin 42 for thesensor 12, providing an indication to the ECU (not shown) monitoring thesensor 12. The reed switch or sensor 12 being mounted so that thefragment 26 moves perpendicular to the switch or sensor 12 allows for asmaller body cavity of the fluid level sensor assembly 10, which reducesbody material requirements in the fluid level sensor assembly 10.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the same fluid level sensor10 mounted to the reservoir 124 having a bottom oriented mountinglocation 46 for the fluid level sensor 10 to form a fluid level sensorand reservoir assembly 143. The fluid level sensor 10 is fluidly sealedto the reservoir 24 with the grommet 22. The angled carrier 16 directsthe float 18 with the fragment 26 at an angle, e.g. 45 degrees, to thesensor housing 14 and connector 20. When the fluid level in thereservoir 24 drops the float 18 drops toward the sensor housing 14activating the sensor 12, e.g. a perpendicular installed reed switch.The reed switch or sensor 12 will close due to the magnetic field of thefragment 26 in the float 18. This causes an electrical short between thetwo prongs of the connector pin 42 for the sensor 12, providing anindication to the ECU (not shown) monitoring the sensor 12. The reedswitch or sensor 12 being mounted so that the fragment 26 movesperpendicular to the switch or sensor 12 allows for a smaller bodycavity of the fluid level sensor assembly 10, which reduces bodymaterial requirements in the fluid level sensor assembly 10. Asdescribed above, the fluid level sensor assembly 10 operates in the samemanner whether the reservoir 24, 124 has a side oriented mountinglocation 44, shown in FIG. 6, or a bottom oriented mounting location,shown in FIG. 7. Thus, angled orientation of the carrier 16 to thesensor housing 14 allows multiple mounting orientations of the fluidlevel sensor assembly 10 without requiring additional components.

Alternatively the sensor 12 may be a hall effect, Magnasphere® orsimilar sensor to detect a ferrous material in the float 18. That is,the fragment 26 may be made of ferrous material and the sensor 12 may beable to detect ferrous material, such as a Magnasphere® sensor. Thiswill allow for a reduction in the size of the float 18 and a robustdesign of the sensor 12.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a second embodiment of the fluid level sensorassembly 110. The fluid level sensor assembly 110 includes a sensor 112mounted to a sensor housing 114. A carrier 116 extends from the sensorhousing 114 in an angled orientation. A float 118 is located within thecarrier 116 and may move freely along the longitudinal axis 119 of thecarrier 116.

A connector 120 extends from the sensor housing 114 on an opposing sideas the carrier 116. The connector 20 is used to electrically connect thesensor 112 to an external electronic control unit (ECU) to provide awarning indication in the case of low fluid level detected by the sensor112. A grommet 122 (shown in FIGS. 6 and 7) is mounted to the exteriorof the sensor housing 114 to seal the fluid level sensor assembly 110 toa reservoir 24, 124. FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the first embodiment ofthe fluid level sensor assembly 10 assembled to the reservoirs 24, 124.As described below, the second embodiment of the fluid level sensorassembly 110 is secured to the reservoir 24, 124 in a similar manner andoperates in a similar manner as well.

The sensor 112 is a hall effect or a reed switch and the float 118includes a fragment 126 that has magnetic material. The sensor 112detects vertical movement of the fragment 126 relative to the stationaryposition of the sensor 112 at the sensor housing 114. The carrier 116has an angled orientation with respect to the sensor 112. In theembodiment shown, the carrier 116 has a 45 degree angle with respect tothe sensor 112 and the sensor housing 114. The angled orientationbetween the carrier 116 and the sensor 112 allows for multiple mountingorientations of the fluid level sensor assembly 110 within a reservoir24, 124, without requiring use of a different sensor 112, as willdescribed in further detail below.

The float 118 is a round ball shape, having the fragment 126 (shown inphantom) located at the core of the float 118. The float 118 moves alongthe longitudinal axis 119 of the carrier 116 and is retained by a numberof fingers 132. The fingers 132 are parallel to the longitudinal axis119 of the carrier 116 and spaced apart from one another sufficiently toaccommodate the float 118. This arrangement allows the float 18 to slidefreely along the longitudinal axis 119 of the carrier 116. The float 118may spin and rotate within the carrier 16. Thus, the fragment 126 is atthe core of the float 118, such that the spinning and rotating of thefloat 118 within the carrier 116 does not affect the sensor 112 reading.The float 118 should remain free to move up and down with the fluidlevel in the reservoir 24, 124 to provide accurate fluid level sensing.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded view of the fluid level sensor assembly10 with a slosh guard 36. The same slosh guard 36 may also be used withthe second embodiment of the fluid level sensor assembly 110. FIGS. 6and 7 illustrate the slosh guard 136. If further reduction of the slosharound the float 118 is desired the slosh guard 136 may be assembled onthe carrier 116. Due to the angle orientation of the carrier 116relative to the sensor housing 114 the slosh guard 136 can be assembledon the carrier 116 regardless of the mounting orientation of the fluidlevel sensor assembly 110 within a reservoir 24, 124 (shown in FIGS. 6and 7). Therefore, the slosh guard 136 is a universal slosh guard 136.The slosh guard 136 may be spaced from the sensor housing 114sufficiently to allow fluid to flow within the carrier 116 such that thefloat 118 is at the top of the fluid level, but the effect of anysloshing fluid within the reservoir 24, 124 acting on the float 18 isreduced. Couplings 137 are formed on the slosh guard 136 to correspondto couplings 139 formed on the carrier 116. The couplings 137, 139 allowfor easy assembly of the slosh guard on the carrier 116 regardless ofthe mounting orientation of the fluid level sensor assembly 110.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the connector 120. A socket 140extends outwardly from a flanged backing 138 to surround and protect aconnector pin 142. The flanged backing 138 is secured to the sensorhousing 118, e.g. by welding, to retain the connector 120 to the sensorhousing 118. The connector pin 142 is secured to the flanged backing138. For example, the connector pin 142 may be secured to the flangedbacking 138 my over-molding the connector pin 142 to the flanged backing138. The connector pin 142 is electronically connected to the sensor 112when the connector 120 is secured to the sensor housing 18, such as bysoldering the sensor 112 and the connector pin 142 together.

The type and style of the connector pins 142 and socket 140 may beformed to provide the specific style of connection required forconnecting the fluid level sensor assembly 110 to the plug and ECU (notshown) style that are being used. The connector pin 42 illustrated is atwo-prong connector pin 142 may be formed in the desired shape andnumber of prongs, e.g. by die stamping. However, the flanged backing 138allows for a common manner of coupling the connector pin 142 to thesensor 112 for the fluid level sensor assembly 110. In this manner onlythe style of connector pin 142 and socket 140 are required to bemanufactured for a specific use and the remaining components of thefluid level sensor assembly 110 can be interchangeably manufactured.

Referring back to FIGS. 8 and 9, the fluid level sensor assembly 120 canbe mounted to a reservoir 24 (shown in FIG. 6) having a side orientedmounting location 44 for the fluid level sensor assembly 110. The fluidlevel sensor assembly 110 is fluidly sealed to the reservoir 24 with thegrommet 122. The angled carrier 116 directs the float 118 with fragment126 at an angle, e.g. 45 degrees, to the sensor housing 114 andconnector 120. When the fluid level in the reservoir 24 drops the float118 drops toward the sensor housing 114 activating the sensor 112, e.g.a perpendicular installed reed switch. The reed switch or sensor 112will close due to the magnetic field of the fragment 126 in the float118. This causes an electrical short between the two prongs of theconnector pin 142 for the sensor 112, providing an indication to the ECU(not shown) monitoring the sensor 112. The reed switch or sensor 112being mounted so that the magnetic fragment 126 moves perpendicular tothe switch or sensor 112 allows for a smaller body cavity of the fluidlevel sensor assembly 110, which reduces body material requirements inthe fluid level sensor assembly 110.

The fluid level sensor assembly 110 operates in the same manner asdescribed above when in a bottom oriented mounting location 46. Thus,the fluid level sensor assembly 110 operates in the same manner whetherthe reservoir 24, 124 has a side oriented mounting location 44 or abottom oriented mounting location 46.

Alternatively the sensor 112 may be a hall effect, Magnasphere® orsimilar sensor to detect a ferrous material in the float 118. That isthe fragment 26 at the core may be of ferrous material and the sensor112 is the type that may detect the ferrous material, such as aMagnasphere® sensor. This will allow for a reduction in the size of thefloat 118 and a robust design of the sensor 112.

The fluid level sensor assembly 10, 110 may be used in a number ofapplications. It would be useful in windshield washer bottles,antifreeze overflow containers, brake fluid bottles, transmission fluidbottles, gas tank level, and many more. It could also have manynon-automotive applications where fluid level must be read. The abovedescription is related to fluid level sensor and reservoir assembly 43,44 for a washer bottle fluid level detection for a vehicle but is notlimited to this usage.

While the best modes for carrying out the invention have been describedin detail the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited,since those familiar with the art to which this invention relates willrecognize various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing theinvention within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fluid level sensor assembly comprising: asensor mounted coupled to a sensor housing; a carrier extending from thesensor housing in an angled orientation; a float located within thecarrier such that the float may move along a longitudinal axis of thecarrier; a fragment secured to one end of the float, wherein the sensordetects a location of is activated by the presence of the fragmentwithin a field of the sensor; and wherein the float has a barrel anoblong shape and the fragment is secured to one end of the float, andwherein the float is assembled within the carrier such that the fragmentend is closest to the sensor, and wherein the width of the carrierprevents the float from rotating traverse to the longitudinal axis ofthe carrier.
 2. The fluid level sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein thecarrier further comprises a plurality of fingers extending from thesensor housing and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the carrier, andwherein the fingers are spaced from one another sufficiently to allowthe float to be assembled within the carrier such that the longer axisof the barrel shaped float is parallel to the longitudinal axis of thecarrier.
 3. The fluid level sensor assembly of claim 2, wherein thefloat further comprises a plurality of grooves spaced about thecircumference of the float and extending parallel to the longer axis ofthe float, and when the float is assembled within the carrier theplurality of grooves may be aligned with the plurality of fingers, suchthat the finger will prevent the float from spinning about thelongitudinal axis of the carrier.
 4. The fluid level sensor assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the float has a round barrel shape with one of amagnetic core and a ferrous core.
 5. The fluid level sensor assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the carrier has a 45 degree orientation with respect tothe sensor housing.
 6. The fluid level sensor assembly of claim 1,further comprising a connector secured to the sensor housing on anopposing side from the carrier, wherein the connector has a connectorpin electrically connected to the sensor, and a flanged backing tosecure the connector to the sensor housing.
 7. The fluid level sensorassembly of claim 1, wherein fluid level sensor assembly is mountable toone of: a reservoir having a side mounting location orientation and areservoir having a bottom mounting location orientation.
 8. The fluidlevel sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein the sensor, carrier and floatare secured to a washer reservoir for a vehicle washer system.
 9. Thefluid level sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein the fragment is amagnetic material and the sensor is a reed switch in perpendicularorientation to the fragment.
 10. The fluid level sensor assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the fragment is one of a magnetic material and aferrous material.
 11. The fluid level sensor assembly of claim 1,further comprising a slosh guard secured to the carrier in a universalmanner for the fluid level sensor.
 12. A fluid level sensor assemblycomprising: a reservoir for a vehicle washer system; a reed switchmounted coupled to a sensor housing and secured to the reservoir; acarrier extending from the sensor housing in an angled orientationwherein the reservoir has one of a side mounting location and a bottommounting location for the carrier; a float with a barrel an oblong shapelocated within the carrier such that the float may move along alongitudinal axis of the carrier and is prevented from rotatingtransverse to the longitudinal axis of the carrier; a magnetic fragmentsecured at one end of the float, wherein the float is assembled withinthe carrier such that the magnetic fragment is closest to the reedswitch wherein the reed switch detects a location is activated by thepresence of the magnetic fragment within a magnetic field of the reedswitch; and wherein the carrier further comprises a plurality of fingersextending from the sensor housing and parallel to the longitudinal axisof the carrier, and wherein the fingers are spaced from one anothersufficiently to allow the float to be assembled within the carrier suchthat the longer axis of the barrel shaped float is parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the carrier, such that the finger prevents thefloat from rotating traverse to the longitudinal axis of the carrier.13. The fluid level sensor assembly of claim 12, wherein the floatfurther comprises a plurality of grooves spaced about the circumferenceof the float and extending parallel to the longer axis of the float, andwhen the float is assembled within the carrier the plurality of groovesmay be aligned with the plurality of fingers, such that the finger willprevent the float from spinning about the longitudinal axis of thecarrier.
 14. The fluid level sensor assembly of claim 12, wherein thecarrier has a 45 degree orientation with respect to the sensor housing.15. The fluid level sensor assembly of claim 12, further comprising aconnector secured to the sensor housing on an opposing side from thecarrier, wherein the connector has a connector pin electricallyconnected to the sensor, and a flanged backing to secure the connectorto the sensor housing.
 16. The fluid level sensor assembly of claim 12,wherein fluid level sensor assembly is mountable to one of: a reservoirhaving a side mounting location orientation and a reservoir having abottom mounting location orientation.
 17. The fluid level sensorassembly of claim 12, further comprising a slosh guard secured to thecarrier in a universal manner for the fluid level sensor.
 18. A washerreservoir and fluid level sensor assembly comprising: a fluid levelsensor comprising; a sensor mounted coupled to a sensor housing; acarrier extending from the sensor housing in an angled orientation; afloat located within the carrier such that the float may move along alongitudinal axis of the carrier; a fragment secured to one end of thefloat, wherein the sensor detects a location of is activated by thepresence of the fragment within a field of the sensor, wherein the floathas a barrel an oblong shape and the fragment is secured to the one endof the float, and wherein the float is assembled within the carrier suchthat the fragment end is closest to the sensor, and wherein the width ofthe carrier prevents the float from rotating traverse to thelongitudinal axis of the carrier; a connector secured to the sensorhousing on an opposing side from the carrier, wherein the connector hasa connector pin electrically connected to the sensor, and a flangedbacking to secure the connector to the sensor housing; and a grommetassembled on the exterior of the sensor housing; and a reservoir for avehicle washer system having one of a side mounting location and abottom mounting location, wherein the fluid level sensor is assembled atthe mounting location such that the grommet fluidly seals the fluidlevel sensor within the reservoir and the connector is accessible to theexterior of the washer reservoir.
 19. The washer reservoir and fluidlevel sensor assembly of claim 18, wherein the carrier further comprisesa plurality of fingers extending from the sensor housing and parallel tothe longitudinal axis of the carrier, and wherein the fingers are spacedfrom one another sufficiently to allow the float to be assembled withinthe carrier such that the longer axis of the barrel shaped float isparallel to the longitudinal axis of the carrier.
 20. The washerreservoir and fluid level sensor assembly of claim 19, wherein the floatfurther comprises a plurality of grooves spaced about the circumferenceof the float and extending parallel to the longer axis of the float, andwhen the float is assembled within the carrier the plurality of groovesmay be aligned with the plurality of fingers, such that the finger willprevent the float from spinning about the longitudinal axis of thecarrier.
 21. The washer reservoir and fluid level sensor assembly ofclaim 18, wherein the carrier has a 45 degree orientation with respectto the sensor housing.
 22. The washer reservoir and fluid level sensorassembly of claim 18, wherein the connector further comprises a socketextending from the flanged backing and surrounding the connecting pin,and wherein the socket and connector pin each have a specific shapebased upon the model of vehicle the washer system is for.
 23. The washerreservoir and fluid level sensor assembly of claim 18, wherein the floathas a round barrel shape with one of a magnetic core and a ferrous core.24. The washer reservoir and fluid level sensor assembly of claim 18,wherein the fragment is a magnetic material and the sensor is a reedswitch in perpendicular orientation to the fragment.
 25. The washerreservoir and fluid level sensor assembly of claim 18, wherein thefragment is one of a magnetic material and a ferrous material.
 26. Thewasher reservoir and fluid level sensor assembly of claim 18, furthercomprising a slosh guard secured to the carrier in a universal mannerfor the fluid level sensor.